Kilworth Theatre – Anything Goes

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Here we are at our (mostly) annual pilgrimage to Kilworth House Theatre.

Familiar faces all round as we shared the experience with Jo, Janet, Carol and Helen after meeting up at Portly Farm (better known for its Christmas Trees) for a light bite! This year’s offering was Cole Porter’s: ‘Anything Goes’ and it’s running from 23rd June to 2nd August 2026. Today was a little unusual as it was the first time we’d be seeing a title that we’d seen before here – back in August 2013.

Synopsis

Set aboard the luxurious ocean liner S.S. American, Anything Goes is a madcap musical comedy brimming with mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, and high-seas hijinks. When nightclub singer Reno Sweeney boards the ship bound for London, she finds herself entangled in a tangled web of love triangles, disguises, and outrageous schemes involving a lovestruck stowaway, a debutante, her eccentric fiancé, and a gangster posing as a minister. With its witty dialogue, dazzling dance numbers, and a score packed with Cole Porter’s most beloved songs – including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “Friendship,” and the show-stopping “Anything Goes” It’s easy to see why Anything Goes is widely regarded as one of the best Broadway Musicals of all time.
©Kilworth House & Theatre

Runtime = 165 minutes

For new readers, or those unfamiliar with the venue, this is like going to a London West End Theatre production – but on our doorstep! We’ve been coming here for quite a few years, and it ALWAYS impresses us with the quality of its productions.

Not surprisingly, by curtain up, today was a sell-out, even if the car-park, on arrival, had suggested otherwise.

Boy! It sure was hot as the second heatwave continues in the UK and is showing no sign of leaving. In fact, Anglian Water (in keeping with most of the other Water Companies) has declared a hosepipe ban for us in the last 24 hours.

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Kilworth House Theatre Visits

We’re building quite a list! 👍

Kilworth 2025 – 42nd Street
Kilworth 2023 – Hairspray
Kilworth 2022 – Carousel
Kilworth 2021 – Memory of the Musicals
Kilworth 2019 (2) – Cats
Kilworth 2019 (1) – Joseph
Kilworth 2017 – Top Hat
Kilworth 2014 (2) – South Pacific
Kilworth 2014 (1) – Sister Act
Kilworth 2013 (2) – My Fair Lady
Kilworth 2013 (1) – Anything Goes
Kilworth 2012 – The Sound of Music

We don’t go every year, splitting our cultural time with Tolethorpe Hall that also caters for luvvies like us AND it’s an outside Theatre too! They really are all top-notch performances at both venues, and the fact that they’re outdoors, adds a certain extra something to the experience.

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Cast & Creatives

Emily Mae Walker (Hamilton) as Reno Sweeney, Richard Carson (Titanique) as Billy Crocker, Megan Gardiner (Wicked, UK and Ireland Tour) as Hope Harcourt, Tom Hopcroft (Sister Act The Musical) as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, Dougie Carter (The Phantom of the Opera) as Moonface Martin, Sophie Naglik (Back to the Future The Musical) as Erna and Penelope Woodman (Wicked) as Evangeline Harcourt. Joining them were Lindsay Atherton, Lauren Dawes, Tia Gyngell, Helen Rose George, Alanna Panditaratne, Poppy Sharman, Ellie-Grace Cousins, Charlie Bishop, Robert Adam McNeilly, Toby Seddon, Charlie Robert Gary Miller, Thomas Walton, Gregor McCann and Aidan Stuart.

Produced by Celia Mackay, the creative team includes Musical Supervisor & Director Rick Coates, Set and Costume Designer Phillip Witcomb, Lighting Designer Jason Taylor, Sound Designer Chris Whybrow, Associate Director and Choreographer Emma Hunter and Casting Director Sarah Goggin.

Wow!

Well, as expected, it was a brilliant production! 👏👏👏👏👏 – possibly one of the best we’ve seen here. Emily Mae Walker in the lead female role absolutely dominated the performance with her stage presence. Given the soaring temperatures and the energetic routines, the cast took it all in their stride and (literally) didn’t break a sweat!